SUNY Cortland Political Science Department

04/08/2025

Coming tomorrow, Wednesday April 9! The Cortland Challenge is happening soon!

This year the Political Science department is participating in the annual Cortland Challenge. What that means is that on Wednesday April 9th 2025 the College will be raising funds, and, donors will be able to choose a department to support.

If you are inclined to support the Political Science Department, Wednesday is the day, and this is the button to use!
https://give.cortland.edu/campaigns/56083/donations/new?tc=52334

The goal for our department is to raise funds to support students who take on internships as part of their degree.

Each year Cortland Political Science students take on internships in various locations, from Washington, D.C., to Albany, to Upstate New York. (You may have done so yourself!). Students incur significant costs in taking on internships. To help our students the department plans to award support stipends. We believe an internship support fund of $3,000 will make a big difference in helping students engage in one of the most rewarding activities they will experience in political science.

We hope you are interested in supporting this initiative, and we welcome any contribution you would like to make.

If the link above doesn’t work on Wednesday, be sure to check
- https://give.cortland.edu/schools/SUNYCortland/2025-cortland-challenge/pages/academics/PoliticalScience
and look for Poli Sci near the bottom of the page.

Best wishes to you all,

The Political Science Dept at SUNY Cortland.

Be a part of the Cortland Challenge and make your gift today!

04/17/2024

If you are interested in supporting the Political Science Department, now is the time, and this is the button to use!

https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1612/19/interior-col.aspx?sid=1612&gid=1&pgid=1136&cid=2865&appealcode=24CH-PI61&dids=1.40&bledit=1

This year our department is participating in the annual Cortland Challenge. What that means is that today, Wednesday April 17th, the College will be raising funds, and, donors will be able to choose one department to support.

The goal for our department is to raise funds to support students who take on internships as part of their degree.

Each year Cortland Political Science students take on internships in various locations, from Washington, D.C., to Albany, to Upstate New York. (You may have done so yourself!). Students incur significant costs in taking on internships. To help our students the department plans to award support stipends. We believe an internship support fund of $2,000 will make a big difference in helping students engage in one of the most rewarding activities they will experience in political science.

We hope you are interested in supporting this initiative, and we welcome any contribution you would like to make.

If the link above doesn’t work, be sure to check
RedDragonNetwork.org/deptchallenge
and look for Poli Sci near the bottom of the page.

The Academic and Campus Department Challenge is back! New this year, departments will now have the chance to win $2,000 for their respective initiatives.

09/04/2021

Happy to share a new airdate for the broadcast premiere of The Price of Freedom on CNN — Sunday, Sept 19 at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The film will play without commercial interruption and will be followed by a roundtable discussion hosted by Chris Cuomo. Hope you can tune in and help us spread the word!

04/13/2021

HUMPHREY TO ATTEND AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Senior political science major and current SGA President Callie Humphrey will be attending American University in the fall of 2021 to pursue a Masters degree in US Foreign Policy & National Security. In addition, Callie is one of three Cortland students to receive the ultra-prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. Congratulations Callie!

08/02/2020

CORTLAND ALUM HAS GONE FAR IN LAW
Dave Oddo, Class of ’86, has left his mark through the practice of law in New York. He is a prominent New York attorney known as a tenacious, experienced and highly skilled trial attorney, who has obtained many large verdicts and settlements for his clients in his over 25-year career as a civil litigator. He takes great pride in representing people whose lives have been devastated by the negligence and recklessness of others. Oddo is a staunch advocate for victims of childhood s*x abuse. Among his many accolades, Oddo is a Past President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA), and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a distinction given to less than one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. As a Cortland political science major, he interned in the Cortland County Attorney’s Office. Dave says, “I am fully aware that my foundation was set at Cortland, by the excellent [department] faculty who I had the opportunity to study under.” You can read more about him at: https://www.oddobabat.com/about/david-oddo/

07/30/2020

LANSBURY WORKS IN ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE
Political science major Taylor Lansbury was an intern with the New York State Attorney General’s Office out of Syracuse during the Spring 2020 semester. She assisted in claims cases, gaining experience working on trials involving inmates in the New York prison system to potential misconduct pertaining to individual’s wills. Once COVID-19 struck, she transitioned to working from her supervisor’s home to complete her internship, which remained a valuable experience for Taylor. “My supervisor has made this altered experience as close to the real thing as she could. I have been able to email and talk over the phone with employees from various departments to gain different perspectives… I believe this experience is exceptional and is providing me with unique firsthand exposure to the inner-workings of the state government.”

07/22/2020

STUDENT WINS SUNY EXCELLENCE AWARD
Political Science major Shaneya Simmelkjaer, who is also majoring in criminology and Africana studies, is one of three Cortland students to win the ultra-prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence for 2021. She was also Cortland’s 14th recipient of a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Congratulations Shaneya!

05/30/2020

ALEXANDRA GALUS
Activities at Cortland: member, track and field team; Political Science Association; helped create Generation Votes; studied abroad in Italy, Model EU.
Honors, recognitions: Pi Sigma Alpha, International Honors Society, Outstanding Campus Leader Award.
Important Political Science Experience: My second semester freshman year I took two POL classes, one with Dennis Wang and one with Jeremy Wolf, and these two professors are who made me realize my future career aspirations.
Enjoyed most at Cortland: All the friends I made and participating in collegiate athletics—so much fun.
What’s next after graduation?
I will be attending law school in the fall.

05/30/2020

CHESTER BENNETT
Activities at Cortland: Student Government Association (Club Senator, Chief of Staff, Vice President, President); SUNY Student Assembly (Director of Rules, Parliamentarian); Colleges Against Cancer (Club Member); Orientation Assistant.
Honors, awards, recognitions: Outstanding Senior (2019-2020); Dean’s List (every semester); President’s List (Spring 2019, Fall 2019); Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society; Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society; Michael C. Holland Memorial Scholarship; Sigma Delta Phi Scholarship; Student Government Association Leadership Scholarship.
Share a political science experience that was important to you: My internship last summer in Congressman Brindisi’s office was a phenomenal opportunity and great experience. It gave me an opportunity to live and work in D.C. while gaining credit towards my degree and a first-hand look at the work of government.
What did you enjoy most at SUNY Cortland? My experiences in Student Government were by far the best part of my time here at SUNY Cortland. SGA gave me the opportunity to get hands on experience in running a large organization, and make a difference in my community at the same time.
What’s next for you after graduation?
Hopefully, working on a congressional campaign until November.

05/30/2020

ALLISON M. YERO
Activities at Cortland: Political Science Association, Moot Court.
Honors, awards, recognitions: Award for Outstanding Achievement in Law & Justice, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha Junior Best Portfolio Award, President’s List.
Share a political science experience that was important to you: Learning about all types of law and how it works from Tim Delaune.
What did you enjoy most at SUNY Cortland? The friends I made here. The close-knit community, especially in the Political Science Dept., Learning from my favorite professors.
What’s next for you after graduation?
I am taking a year off to gain real work experience in the legal field and then I am applying to law school in 2021.

05/30/2020

SKYE FOY
Activities at Cortland: SGA at large Senator and Member of Delta Phi Epsilon.
Honors, awards, recognitions: Dean’s List: Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2018; President’s List: Fall 2018, Spring 2019; National Society of Leadership and Success, and Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society).
Share a political science experience that was important to you: Internship with Syracuse District Attorney’s office.
What did you enjoy most at SUNY Cortland? Definitely the people I met. Meeting people from so many different places and making new connections.
What’s next for you after graduation?
A career in business or law.